“The U.S. is just an excuse for additional sanctions against Russia.”
Biden: “Outraged… U.S. reviewing all options”
A Russian diplomat reacted on the 17th (local time) to the United States’ reaction to the death of Russia’s anti-Putin opposition leader Alexei Navalny, calling it “interference in internal affairs.”
According to TASS news agency, Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov said on this day, “A person’s death is always a tragedy,” and “In such a situation, it is important to understand the full story of the incident (first).”
“But (American) politicians are not waiting for that and are criticizing the Russian authorities,” he said. “A question quite naturally arises here. “Who is the judge?” he criticized.
“There is another attempt to interfere in Russia’s internal affairs. “(Navalny’s) death is just an excuse,” he pointed out.
Ambassador Antonov said, “They (the United States) are looking here for a reason for their derogatory attacks. “In particular, they are looking for an excuse to impose additional sanctions against Russia,” he said. “Their core mission is to save the so-called rules-based ‘Pax America’ (peace by the United States) from collapsing.”
He continued, “Such a policy is unacceptable. “It would be better for local leaders to focus on their own pressing issues,” he said sarcastically.
Navalny died in prison the day before at the 3rd prison in the Yaman-Nenets Autonomous Region in Russia’s northernmost Siberia region. Russia’s Correctional Service said Navalny was unwell and lost consciousness after the walk, and that medical staff immediately arrived and performed CPR, but were unable to save him.
In response, Western leaders issued comments questioning the actions of the Vladimir Putin regime, saying Navalny died mysteriously.
U.S. President Joe Biden immediately held an unscheduled press conference at the White House and said, “Millions of people around the world are outraged by Navalny’s death. President Putin fiercely criticized him, saying, “He is committing terrible crimes not only against the citizens of other countries, but also against his own citizens.”
When asked whether he considered it an assassination, President Biden responded, “I don’t know exactly what happened, but there is no doubt that it was the result of what Putin and his thugs did.”
At the same time, when asked about the possibility of the United States strengthening sanctions against Russia in connection with Navalny’s death, he said, “The United States is reviewing all options.”
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and U.S. Secretary of State Tony Blinken, who are attending the Munich Security Conference in Germany, also emphasized Russia’s responsibility, and White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a media interview, “Considering the Russian government’s long and dirty history of harming its political opponents, “It clearly raises questions about what actually happened,” he pointed out.
In response, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded that the West’s claims were absurd and completely unacceptable, pointing out that the cause of Navalny’s death had not been officially confirmed.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.